


Oceans Away, Moments Away

by WhatMoreIsThereToSay



Category: GOT7
Genre: Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-29 13:41:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6377905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatMoreIsThereToSay/pseuds/WhatMoreIsThereToSay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>JB and Jackson are navigating their relationship with 2,000 miles between them, through messaging and video chats (but not hand-written letter because when Jackson pointed out how terribly romantic it would be, JB suggested they save up for plane tickets instead of spending on postage).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Words, Words, Words

**Author's Note:**

> First shot at JB/Jackson, let me know what you think <3

There were days when it was really easy to be 1,500 miles away from Jackson Wang.

 

Believe it or not, the younger could be the moodiest person JB had ever met at the drop of a hat, at the tiniest little thing. Normally, JB didn’t mind Jackson’s mood swings, especially when the younger was beating himself up about a fencing move he’d messed up or a test he hadn’t done well on. He liked comforting Jackson, being supportive for him and telling him not to be so hard on himself. These were the times he hated living miles and miles away the most, the times he wished he could touch and kiss and hold Jackson instead of blowing kisses through a web cam or sending emoji hearts. Between the two of them, Jackson was undoubtedly the more positive one and sometimes JB felt like he was dragging the other down. He hated that Jackson was critical of himself and he hated that they weren’t closer to each other in those moments, but he always made sure Jackson knew that JB loved him and that everything would be fine in the morning.

Other times, he was grateful he could put down his phone and physically leave the room to cool down. They didn’t fight a lot, only a few times since they had started dating a few months into their online friendship, but each fight had been messy.

The first had been a time thing: Jackson was extra busy with fencing and JB was busy with exams fast approaching and they’d both missed video chat dates more than once and they both wanted to blame the other. They hadn’t spoken in 3 days when Jackson’s roommate BamBam had waved a knife at him while preparing dinner and told him not to miss another one of his dates sulking around the house. Jackson logged on to Skype (just to check and see if JB was on, not planning on calling or anything) precisely at 8pm to find that JB was logged on too (on accident, he left it up and he would have probably still been mad if Jackson hadn’t ‘accidentally’ hit the call button). They made up quickly that time, promising to be better and try not to cancel as much. It ended up that there were times Jackson brought his dinner into his room because he got back from practice at 7:50, or times JB wrote essays on video chat while Jackson tried not to distract him too much. But they didn’t miss a date unless they absolutely had to.

 

The second time JB overstepped a little and Jackson overstepped a lot. After a weekend of drunk snapchats (the fencing season had ended so Jackson was enjoying his time off, a little too much perhaps), JB sent a text on Sunday morning:

IJ: _Hope you’re feeling okay, you really shouldn’t drink so much baby, it’s not healthy_

JW: Lol I had a little fun last night, like you always say I’ve been working hard and i deserve some rest ;) I’m feeling fine

IJ: _That wasn’t rest, that was reckless but I’m glad you’re not sick. Plans today?_

JW: Wow, reckless? Like you don’t ever go out? I didn’t have that much and I was with my friends.

IJ: _Didn’t have that much? You were practically dancing on tables Jacks._

JW: You’re being ridiculous Jae, what the hell??

IJ: _Oh, sorry for caring_

JW: You’re not caring, that’s not what this is. This is you trying to be my mother or some shit. Don’t worry, I already have one of those.

JW: I don’t get it Jae, you go out all the time and I never complain

JW: How is this different?

IJ: _I don’t send you and god knows who else snapchats of me being obnoxious and trashed, that’s how this is different._

JW: I am responsible! None of us drove last night, we all got home alright, I made sure of that even when I was ‘trashed’

JW: Like I always do

IJ:   _Like you always do, okay so nothing bad happens once or twice and suddenly there’s no risk at all? Ha_

JW: What the hell are you talking about? What are you afraid of Jae?

JW: Do you think I’ll get drunk and get with some other guy just because you’re not around?

IJ: _Wow, that’s a good one Jackson, thanks for bringing that up_

JW: Oh my god, you do

JW: You think I’m going to find someone better in a bar, don’t you? You think I’d do that to you?

JW: JB?

JW: Jae, come on you’ve got to be fucking kidding me

JW: You’re being absolutely ridiculous, you know that? I can’t believe you

IJ: _You know what, do whatever and whoever you fucking want Jackson, I need a break_

They, of course, resolved things within a week. Jackson had cried in the shower and pretended like he didn’t care, dragging himself to the gym in the morning because he needed some kind of outlet for everything and fencing was over. He didn’t actually have much energy to work out since he hadn’t been sleeping well, staying up late and staring at his stupid phone like wishing would make a difference when all he really needed to do was apologize. JB was right in a lot of ways. BamBam had a video of Jackson fully clothed in their bathtub screaming “I’m washing me and my clothes bitch” until one of the neighbors had banged on their door and complained about the noise. According to his roommate, Jackson had barely made it out of the bathtub and out of his soaking wet clothes before he passed out completely naked on the living room couch. That had been the day after their fight and Jackson was still not going to admit that he was wrong and he shouldn’t have gotten that drunk.

On the sixth day, JB threw up the white flag with a screenshot of the flier Seoul’s annual fencing tournament coming up at the beginning of next season. They had been talking about it for weeks since Jackson had qualified at the end the season, Jackson being able to stay with JB for the weekend and all. Along with the picture, he sent, “ _Are you still coming?”_ And then a few minutes later, “ _I’m sorry, I was unfair.”_ Jackson apologized too, quickly, insisting that JB wasn’t totally wrong. “We both drink but I do drink more and I am more wild when I drink…” JB sent back, “ _My wild and sexy Jackson ;)”_ and things were fine. They didn’t talk about what Jackson has said about finding someone else, finding someone better. They later agreed that if they had, their next fight probably wouldn’t have happened.

The third one was the worst, hands down. They didn’t speak for almost two weeks because everything happened right smack dab in the middle of Dead Week, when each of them had papers and projects due in every single one of their classes. At the end of the previous semester, JB’s roommate Jooyoung had decided to switch universities. Since there were always people wanting to live in the campus dorms, JB got a new roommate right away, a dance major named Park Jinyoung. Everything went fine, they got along just fine-- they got along great actually. The problem was, Jackson didn’t like him. Not at all. Not one bit.

Jinyoung was… affectionate. Perhaps Jinyoung was just more visible about it than Jackson was used to (even though he had quite a few Korean friends and he _thought_ he was pretty used to the friendly affection), but Jackson certainly felt threatened when his boyfriend’s roommate would crawl into his bed to say hi to Jackson and just sprawl out on JB’s lap. And stay there. During their date. And he was so nonchalant about it that Jackson felt like maybe Jinyoung was doing it to make him angry, to rub it in Jackson’s face that he got to spend time with JB when Jackson didn’t. Whatever the reason actually was, it made Jackson angry to no end. And whenever he tried to talk to JB about it, the other reasoned it away like it wasn’t anything for Jackson to be worried about. “I love you, stupid. Not Jinyoung, not anybody else. You’ve got nothing to be worried about, even if he was interested in me.” Every time Jackson brought it up, JB shut it right back down again and no number of ‘I love you’s’ seemed to make Jackson feel any more secure.

It chipped away at the younger, each snapchat picture or Facebook post. They complained about midterms together when Jackson’s weren’t for another week. They complained about their school’s sports teams on video chat (Jinyoung had at some point become a regular on their dates. In JB’s bed. Why on earth would Jackson be worried about a thing like that?). It got to the point that Jackson canceled their video chat date for no good reason for the first time in almost a year and a half, since the very beginning of their relationship. He logged on, answered JB’s call, but instead was greeted by Jinyoung’s face when the call went through.

“Hey, Jackson! JB had to go to the bathroom, he asked me to go ahead and call if you came online! How are you?”

Jackson bit his lip hard, forcing a smile. “I’m really not feeling well actually, could you just tell JB that I need to reschedule? I’m going to try and get some extra sleep.”

Jinyoung nodded and barely got a word in before Jackson was disconnecting and depositing his laptop on the other side of the room, absolutely as far away from himself as possible, then curling up in bed. He didn’t feel sick, not because of any illness he might have, but he was upset. Extremely upset. JB and him didn’t have normal dates, all they had was video chat dates. They didn’t get to see each other like normal couples, they just got texts and video chats and somewhere along the way that lost its special feeling. Sure, BamBam had sat in on some of their video chats and Jackson had met Jooyoung a few times before he moved out, but Jinyoung was in practically all their calls anymore. Sure, Jackson liked Jinyoung but _he did not want to date Jinyoung._ JB, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any problem with it at all.

And then there was the touching and shoving and flirting-- it was ridiculous! There was no way in hell that it was strictly platonic, not in Jackson’s version of reality at least. JB had to be blind or high not to see it.

 

IJ: _Yah, why didn’t you tell me you were feeling bad? I could have sent you lots of kisses so you could feel better for our date ;)_

JW: Give them all to Jinyoung, I’m sick so kissing would get you sick anyways

IJ: _Aww I would still kiss you if you were sick <3_

JW: I’m going to go to sleep okay

IJ: _Okay, feel better, let me know if you’re up for a video chat tomorrow? Miss you_

JW: Miss you too, lots and lots.

 

Jackson couldn’t help but add the last part because, as irritated as he was, it was true. He missed JB like crazy, more than he’d ever missed his boyfriend before. They’d met in person once before, when JB came to Hong Kong for three days over his winter break, and they’d probably been the happiest days of Jackson’s entire life. Now, another visit was just a few months away and Jackson would be able to actually hold JB and kiss him and finally be near him, but all he could think about was Jinyoung.

He trusted JB, he did, and nobody in their right mind would actually date their roommate. Still, Jinyoung was there and he got along with JB really well-- Jackson was close with BamBam but BamBam wasn’t the one who hugged him. Jackson was the affectionate one in all of his relationships. He knew JB loved him, he knew that JB would never cheat on him, but his brain decided to ignore that and focus on how Jinyoung was there and available and seemingly willing. Jackson didn’t fall asleep for hours with all of this running through his head.

The morning brought a tired, grumpy, upset Jackson dragging himself up to get a cup of coffee and then go off to classes. He grumbled at BamBam on his way out the door, not bothering to grab an umbrella like his roommate suggested because he just couldn’t be bothered to care. JB texted him, probably something sweet, but he just let his phone sit heavily in his pocket as he tried to focus on his Literature class.

JB knew something was wrong, he could feel it in Jackson’s texts, how lethargic he was to reply even though he knew Jackson was in classes that he usually never paid attention in. He made sure to be extra sweet, though, and convinced his boyfriend to keep him company while he ate a late dinner after his composition lab that night. Steaming bowl of ramen in hand, he logged on and sent the call request with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Everything went to shit pretty fast, with JB on edge and Jackson failing miserably to hold back his irritation. JB got a bitter reply when he asked how Jackson’s day had been but brushed it off in favor of trying to cheer Jackson up. He ignored Jackson’s harsh tone and curt responses, talked about his day instead hoping that maybe it would cheer the younger up. Listening to Jackson ramble on about everything that passed through his mind was always soothing to JB when he had bad days. It wasn’t till Jackson started working Jinyoung into every topic of conversation that JB got annoyed.

“It’s been so busy here.” “Not too busy to go out with Jinyoung, did you have fun last weekend?”

“My composition class is kicking my ass,” “It sucks that Jinyoung is a dance major like me, doesn’t it?”

“It’s nice to see you, though, I missed you last night.” “Jinyoung was around though. Is he home today?”

At that point, JB leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and running his hands through his hair. “Jacks, is there something you want to tell me?”  
“Nothing at all, babe.” The other mumbled dryly.

“What’s bothering you, seriously. Why do you keep bringing my roommate up? Getting bored of me, want to substitute him for me on this date?”

“Do you?”

JB frowned, all traces of the joke gone after his last ditch attempt to cool some of the tension. “What?”

  
“Would you rather be dating him than me? It’s fine, I get that long distance sucks and it’s easier to find someone closer to home.” At this point, Jackson was struggling to keep his voice under control-- from anger or sadness, he wasn’t quite sure-- but JB didn’t notice anything in wavering in his tone. The younger sounded dead serious.

“Do I want to date Jinyoung? Jackson, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Think about it, he’s almost always here when we video chat, not just in the room but hanging out with us. In your bed, in your fucking lap half the time. You always talk about him when he’s not here. What do you want me to think?”

“You have got to be kidding me, is that what you’ve been bothered about all night?”

“Well, yeah! Yes!” Jackson practically yelled, glancing at his bedroom door and hoping BamBam wasn’t home yet. “I’d rather have some piece of mind that my boyfriend’s roommate isn’t trying to get it on with him while I’m hundreds of miles away.”

“Where the hell is this coming from, trying to get it on with me? When have I ever made it seem like I want anybody but you?”

The number of instances that Jackson could think of was astronomical (in his mind), little tiny things like kisses on the cheek in snapchats and them going out together on the weekends and getting drunk. Jinyoung was an affectionate drunk, and JB was as well to a certain extent. Jackson always knew he’d had too many the night before when he’d get flooded with pictures of finger hearts and kissy faces over text-- “I love you babe’s” and “I miss you so so so so much” and “I’m going to come to Hong Kong, fuck my classes and my teachers and my degree.” And even JB being affectionate with his friends, Jackson usually didn’t mind because he knew they were just friends. Everything about Jinyoung threw up red flags for him though.

He didn’t get a chance to answer before JB was backpedaling, trying to quell some of Jackson’s fears and dial down the argument with sweet words. “I love you, Jackson, and only you. And I’ve love you and only you for 3 years, before Jinyoung moved in and after.”

“Yeah but you don’t make that very clear to him! He falls asleep in your bed and lays in your fucking lap, Jae! And he joins us on dates!” He repeats, his voice more angry than whiny.

“That’s because he’s my friend and I thought he was your friend too. I thought you didn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind, not once in awhile, but it’s every time. Every fucking time I see you, I get to see him in your fucking bed and flirting with you and close to you. It’s not fair and it’s not okay.”

JB rubbed his eyes, thinking about it in silence for a few seconds. Yeah, Jinyoung had been hanging out with them more often but they weren’t doing anything to warrant Jackson’s attacks.

“You’re being ridiculous, do you even hear yourself?”

“You know what? I don’t need to deal with this right now. Go get your other boyfriend to keep you company during dinner, and do us both a favor and look through your camera roll. You’ll get to see exactly what I see.” JB barely had time to protest before Jackson cut the connection and signed out of his account. He pulled out his phone and sent the other a barrage of texts ranging from “You’re being ridiculous” to simply “Please answer me.”

This time, they didn’t speak for nearly two weeks, not that either of them would have had much time to speak anyways. It was two days after Jackson’s last final before semester break that he finally texted JB asking if they could talk. Sure, JB had been livid for a few days because Jackson was acting like a child and Jackson was being unrealistic. When he finally looked at his camera roll and saw pictures of Jinyoung leaning on his shoulder and Jinyoung hugging him and Jinyoung grabbing his shirt or his hand to pull him somewhere, he understood a little better. He was still stubborn and he told himself they’d work it out later, he’d text Jackson later.

It was a slow process, getting back together. The distance made it hard and since they were only texting at this point, it was easier for them both to cling to residual anger. Neither of them could see the exhaustion and worry and regret on the other’s face. In the end, JB apologized for not noticing how close he and Jinyoung had gotten, and not acknowledging how uncomfortable it made Jackson feel. Jackson apologized for not trusting JB and not really talking to him about it, just overreacting. At some point in their first video chat, Jinyoung knocked on JB’s door and sent Jackson an awkward wave, apologizing for his role in the fight.

“No, don’t worry about it. I was being stupid, I’m glad I have a friend like you who can take care of JB since I’m so far away. Platonically.” He teased, winking at the camera. “Are you going to join us?”

“Uh, no actually, I have a date. With a guy, a different guy, not here.” He said with a giddy smile, gesturing to his clothes and asking for approval.

 

Fighting was difficult 2,000 miles away because JB was stubborn and Jackson was even worse and it was easy for one of them to put down the phone when they didn’t want to hear the other out. They were so similar in how they fought that JB was sure if they’d met like any other couple it would have been… explosive. After that third time they made some rules, the most important being that at any point during an argument, one of them could call for a 24 hour cool-down period in which neither of them would message the other about whatever issue they were having and maybe they both could gain some perspective. The first time it was Jackson who called for it, though, and JB made it 3 hours before sending a message: “ _I’m sorry, I love you, I hate it when we fight.”_

That became their surrender. They wouldn’t bring up the argument again (until later), they’d just send that message. I’m sorry, I love you, I hate it when we fight. Jackson usually added a little <3 at the end “to make his original.”

They made it work.


	2. Hold my Body, Hold my Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a difference between love across 2000 miles and love just a whisper away. There's a difference and it's beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Number 2! Like always, leave any requests!!

The first time JB met Jackson in person, they were a little over a year and a half into their relationship. JB was on the edge of being 20, just a week or so away, while Jackson still had a couple months of being 19. He was staying at Jackson’s apartment for the last few days of his winter break before heading back to classes in Seoul-- it had been his parent’s Christmas present to him (and by extension, to Jackson). Of course, Jackson had screamed and jumped around when JB told him, running out of the room to tell BamBam the news. He came back, setting his overturned chair upright again and falling into it with the biggest smile JB had ever seen on his face.

"A lot of days I thought we'd never get to do this, Jae. I thought maybe we'd break up because it was too much and I'd never get to meet you in person." They tended to avoid this subject, Jackson especially. He preferred to ‘be positive’ about the distance, though JB was pretty sure that his ‘positivity’ was just him ignoring it.  
"What have I told you, Jackson Wang? 2000 miles away or 20 minutes away, it's never going to change us. And you were worried for nothing because this is happening." Jackson nodded excitedly, rubbing his hands over his eyes.  
"God, you know I'm going to cry when I see you right? Prepare yourself for that, you're going to have to deal with me snotty and crying up close and personal." And JB rolled his eyes at Jackson's expression-- the younger was totally serious, no doubt about it.  
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Jacks."

~~~~~

If the amount of glares from the old woman sitting next to him told JB anything, it was that maybe he was a little too excitable. As the plane moved closer, he lost more and more control over his movements. The first to go were his feet, bouncing and tapping when the stewardess announced they were half way through the flight. Next were his hands, tugging at the hem of his shirt or the edge of the complimentary blanket or tapping the hard plastic of the arm rest. Finally, when the young mother sitting on the other side of him with a sleeping toddler in her arms quietly asked what he was so excited for (in Mandarin, which Jackson had been teaching him since they met), he lost control of his lips.  
He spoke on and on about meeting up with his long distance love, how they'd met, answering her polite questions about his boy in Hong Kong. He joked that they were so uncharacteristically close to each other, with him above the ocean that usually separated them, that he was already feeding of Jackson's endless supply of energy. She congratulated them upon touchdown at the airport, turning to her child as the little girl woke up and leaving JB to feel the last minute nervousness settle heavy in his stomach.  
As they began to deboard, his hands full of his carry-on, there was no outlet for his nervous energy. He didn't know what could possibly happen to make things bad, but just the idea that something, anything could go wrong had him itching to hurry up the exit from such a small cramped space. He was sure that was only making things worse.

The line leading out absolutely inched step by step as JB turned on his phone and fumbled with his passport with shaky hands. He managed to type a quick message before he was up to verify his papers and check his bags. "We've landed, lines are going slow though-- see you soon <3"

When he finally made it into the baggage claim area with his duffle bag slung loosely over one shoulder, he headed straight for the exit, pulling out his phone. One carry on was more than enough for 3 days worth of clothes and the Christmas present he had been ready to send in the mail. There was no message from Jackson and as he looked around, he didn't spot a familiar face anywhere. He sent another message with a crude description of his location, tucking his phone in his back pocket just in time for his arms to be full of one very excited Jackson Wang. He had been standing up against a concrete pillar that ended up being the only thing to keep him upright as arms looped around his neck and legs around his waist.

JB didn't brag about his physical prowess like Jackson always did, but he was thanking his steady workout schedule as he caught Jackson around the waist, tucking his head against the other's neck.  
"Hi, Jacks," he mumbled, only to have Jackson's grip on him tighten like a boa constrictor.  
"You're here." He said after a long silence during which JB felt his t shirt get a little damp. "You're here," he repeated again, loosening his hold on JB and sliding to plant his feet on the floor.  
“I’m here,” he replied, kissing Jackson’s temple. “And you’re here, and you’re taller than I thought you would be!” JB teased.  
“You haven’t been in the country for 10 minutes and you’re already teasing me about my height. If I wasn’t so happy to see you, I’d be mad.”  
Jackson finally stopped pressing himself against JB, moving away and looking at his boyfriend with a stupid grin. JB swiped his thumbs over the younger’s wet cheeks, brushing away the tears as he cupped Jackson's face and just nodded.  
"You’re not even that much taller than me! You’re such a liar, you said you were taller." Jackson giggled, taking his hands from JB's neck and looping them around the older's waist for another hug. "I missed you."  
"Aww I was only off my phone for a couple hours," JB teased, knowing what he actually meant.  
The other explained anyway. “It’s like I’ve missed being close to you even though I’ve never been this close to you before. I missed hugging you even though I’ve never hugged you before.”  
“I know. Me too.”

He made sure to hold Jackson a little tighter after that.

~~~~~

  
They headed straight back to Jackson’s apartment since neither of them were very focused on sightseeing at the moment. JB waited until they were out of the crowded airport and heading to catch a bus before finally leaning down for a quick kiss. He didn’t want to make too much of a show of it in public, especially not in front of tons of people who were likely adverse to the idea of two men kissing, but being so close to Jackson made him realized how much he missed the physical sides of being in a relationship. So with his duffle bag over one shoulder and his arm slung around Jackson’s shoulders as they walked, he slowed his pace enough to draw Jackson’s attention and peck him gently on the lips. And of course all it did was send giddy energy coursing back into the younger so that JB could practically feel Jackson vibrating against him.  
On the bus, Jackson immediately slid their hands together and let them rest on his thigh. They were at the back of the bus, which was only half full in the first place, so JB leaned closer for another (longer) kiss. They spoke again, a little about the flight and what the younger had planned for their three days. Thankfully, Jackson stuck mostly to Korean because as much Mandarin as JB had learned, he still wasn’t great. When they were out in the city and things, he wanted to keep practicing, but for the moment he wanted to recreate the comfortable, easy conversation they had online.  
“I’m excited to meet BamBam,” JB said softly as the bus began to move and their conversation lulled.  
“You’ve already met BamBam a bunch of times,” Jackson said, frowning.  
“Yeah, but this is different. It’s in person, it’s more real right?”  
Jackson rolled his eyes. “Is this more real now because we’re meeting in person?” He teased, shaking their entwined hands a little. “It’s the same thing, he’s the same person.”  
“Yeah? Well I can do this in person so I think it’s different,” JB said, picking their hands up kissing the back of Jackson’s hand.  
“Who always says that you can feel a blown kiss as much as you can a real kiss, huh?” The elder laughed sheepishly, dropping his head onto Jackson’s shoulder.  
“I said they were equally potent, not that they were the same.”  
“Whatever. That’s dumb but whatever.” JB planted one more kiss to Jackson’s cheek as he pouted and they stayed in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, playing with each other’s fingers and (regardless of Jackson’s insistence) enjoying this new brand of intimacy for the first time.

~~~~~

BamBam was the same in person as on video chat, JB conceded. He high-fived JB, taking the older by surprise, and then pulled him in for a hug. Like Jackson, he had seemingly endless energy for the few minutes he was there, excusing himself to go meet his boyfriend for lunch.  
As soon his roommate was out of the room, Jackson was crawling into JB’s lap on the couch. He’d been stretched out across the middle of it when JB sat down next to his feet, talking to BamBam about the youngest’s boyfriend and how they’d met just a little while before. BamBam promised to introduce the two before JB left and Jackson had spaced the rest of the conversation out, pondering the idea of a nap. He hadn’t slept at all the night before because he’d been so excited. Before he could suggest it, JB yawned, running one hand through Jackson’s hair where the younger’s head rested in his lap and mumbling how tired he was from everything.  
“Do you want to take a nap? I could use one,” Jackson said, closing his eyes. “Just a little one.”  
JB nodded, playing with the spiky earring Jackson had in. “I’m guessing you didn’t sleep much last night either.”  
Jackson opened his eyes, smiling sheepishly. “No, not really. I was excited!”  
“Me too, Jacks.” JB leaned down, giving Jackson a soft kiss and placing another on his forehead.

Jackson shifted off JB’s lap, allowing the older to stretch his legs out on the couch before he settled comfortably on JB’s chest. From the beginning, Jackson hadn’t thought they would last this long. Something in the back of his mind always nagged that they’d break up because of the distance, because they grew apart in more than distance, because they decided that long distance was just too hard anymore. He thought about it sometimes when they would fight, when he was having a bad day and he just wanted to come home to his boyfriend who was still so many miles away. Maybe JB would suggest it (Jackson knew he definitely wouldn’t). Maybe it would start out as just a little time away from each other, just a break, and then JB would find somebody else. He would say it was mutual, that he was seeing some people and that he was happy for JB-- he’d lie. For years, he’d planned all that out in his head, waiting for the other shoe to drop and reality to set in.  
The moment Jackson saw JB across the airport, frowning at his phone just like he did on video but somehow better and cuter, he felt everything stronger. There was never an issue of commitment between them. They both made it clear that they would be faithful and honest with each other, but Jackson always doubted their ability to make it long term. That doubt melted away when JB held him back just as tight and spoke with just as much emotion, looked at him with just as much overwhelming love. The younger of the two felt emotions deeply, he felt love deeply and showed his emotions like tattoos on his arms and scars on his heart. JB was reserved, coy. He teased and skirted around issues when he didn’t know how to be blunt. He was gentle and diplomatic in a way that made Jackson think that JB might simply continue their relationship to avoid the messiness of a breakup.  
Now, lying in strong arms, listening to JB’s heart beating softly as they relaxed into each other, Jackson felt a new security. Lifting his head up for a moment, he made eye contact with JB and stole one more kiss, slower this time.  
“I love you.” It sounded the same as always, the same tone and the same language, the same smiles and butterflies. It was the same, but as Jackson laid his head back down and as they drifted off, the both felt the difference. They slept and they woke up, they played around and flirted and they made dinner and they made out in the kitchen. They explored the city, flirted shamelessly, met up with Jackson’s friends and had an amazing time. They drank in as much physical affection as they could possibly take to tide them over until next time, showered together, slept warm in each other’s embrace.  
In a few days, JB would return home and things would return to their normal state. He would travel from the airport back to his apartment in a daze, sit down in front of Jinyoung, and he would smile.  
“Everybody says that the best feeling in the world comes from hearing someone say ‘I love you,” He would tell his roommate, looking at his bag which was now missing his favorite hoodie. And then he would shake his head. Because the best feeling in the world is feeling someone say ‘I love you,’ feeling the vibration of their voice and each breath they take, and most of all feeling their body somehow silently communicating the truth behind their words.


	3. Because I miss you <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson really had nothing to be worried about, but of course that didn't stop him.

“I’m seeing someone.” The words poured out of his mouth at the dinner table one evening as his parents ate their meal, making quiet conversation. It came out as a bit of a yell, actually, startling the other two more than he meant it to. He had been contemplating telling them for a little less than a week now, unsure how to approach it. JB and he had begun their relationship a month or so before and, being at college the whole time, Jackson hadn’t seen the point in mentioning it.

He figured it would be… difficult to explain to them how he had met JB. He didn’t know if they knew what Instagram was, let alone how he and JB had met on it like a dating app. He didn’t know if they would understand how they were dating 1500 miles away from each other; he didn’t know if they would be supportive.

Jackson loved his parents more than anything. They had been there for him through everything, through all of his good competitions and the numerous bad ones. They picked him up, telling him that failure was fleeting and to keep moving forward, to keep getting better. They’d taken him coming out midway through high school in stride, immediately assuring him that they loved him no matter who he loved. He expected them to take it well, not to kick him off the family register or be too angry, but didn’t expect them to take it that well. Still, he was paranoid that they might try and invalidate what he and JB had, and he was already anxious about putting his trust and his heart in the hands of somebody knowing full well the relationship would be hard.

“That’s wonderful, Jackson. Anybody we would know?” his father replied, recovering a bit more quickly than his mother.

“Um, no. Nobody from here.” He said vaguely.

“From college then? Is he a dance major as well?” His mother added.

“Um, no. He’s in music production.”

“That’s very interesting, a bit of a risky field. Is he on the fencing team with you?” Jackson sighed, shaking his head.

“Why don’t we just ask where he met the boy instead of all the guesswork?” His mother suggested, winking at his father and then turning to Jackson.

“Well, uh, that’s a little complicated. We met online.” He said, deciding to be blunt, then adding as an afterthought, “He’s from Korea.”

There was a bit of a pause (as his mother took a sip of her drink, she swore later when he confessed how nervous he had been to tell them). His father hummed, nodding with interest as Jackson waited with apprehension for one of them to speak.

“Oh, well that is interesting. It’s amazing how the internet has changed things like dating for your generation, isn’t it?” His mother said, standing up to clear her dishes.

“Are you sure this boy is who he says he is?” His father asked, doing the same and then pointing at Jackson’s half filled plate. “Are you feeling okay? Not hungry?”

Jackson just stared at him, mouth open, like he’d grown two heads. He’d been too nervous to eat before, then too dumbfounded by their response after! He snapped out of it soon, blinking down at the food and shaking his head vigorously.

“No, no. I’m fine, I’m just… wow, okay. He’s real, we were friends for a couple months before we… made it official. We’ve video chatted and stuff.”

His father mulled the idea over for a moment then made a satisfied noise, heading off to the kitchen to help clean up from dinner. Jackson finished quickly, joining his parents.

“So what’s his name?” His mother asked, patting Jackson’s shoulder as he busied himself dumping leftovers into tupperware containers.

“Jaebum, but he goes by JB usually. Or Jae.” He said, pulling out his phone and pulling up a picture from Instagram, earning a few compliments from his mother on ‘those broad shoulders’ and ‘that sweet smile.’

“And how’d you meet?”

Jackson paused, scrolling back through JB’s old post, mostly clips of compositions he’d done for fun. “He posted a video of one of his friends dancing to a song he produced, just freestyling, and I liked it and followed him.”

Not that his parents could tell but Jackson was more than a little embarrassed telling the story, though he didn’t know why. He’d told plenty of people how he and JB met before now but with his parents he felt like it was a strange meeting. Parents are supposed to be conventional, right? They’re supposed to think that all this online dating stuff and social media is odd and not the right way to meet people. He couldn’t remember a time when his parents had been that strictly conventional but he had it in his mind that they would object to the relationship.

His parents looked at him, then at each other, looking confused for the first time.

“So, how did you talk to him? You do talk to each other right?” His father teased.

“Well, he followed me too and eventually he messaged me something about all the languages I use in my captions and we just… became friends.”

They nodded along as he spoke, seeming as if they were half comprehending. (“See honey, I told you those language course we put him in would be useful!”)

“That’s nice, dear. I’m glad you’ve met a nice boy.” His mother patted his shoulder, looking around the clean kitchen with a smile. “Shall we watch a movie tonight?”

And with that, the subject was dropped. Jackson remained in the kitchen while his parents went to pick out something they wanted to watch, typing and retyping messages to JB.

JW: So I told my parents about us…  
_IJ: Oh no, that doesn’t sound good_  
JW: No, no, it went really well  
JW: Surprisingly well  
_JW: Jae, I think it went too well????_  
 _IJ: I’m confused, it went well?_  
 _IJ: Are you okay?_  
JW: I don’t know  
JW: They just asked a couple questions and then moved on  
_IJ: That’s… good I guess_  
 _IJ: You and your mom are really close though aren’t you?_  
JW: Jae you don’t understand, when I went to college my mother texted me every evening to ask what I had eaten that day  
JW: She requested a full list of everything in my diet  
JW: Granted that was two years ago  
_IJ: Awww, they’re letting you be independent, that’s sweet_  
JW: She didn’t ask your age or your birthday or your hair color or your blood type though  
JW: SHE DOES THAT FOR MY FRIENDS WHY WOULDN'T SHE FOR YOU  
_IJ: Jacks, calm down. Deep breaths, I’m sure everything is fine_  
 _IJ: They love you, they’re letting you grow up and giving you space_  
JW: It feels weird  
JW: I like it, but it feels weird  
_IJ: I know, growing up is weird_  
 _IJ: But guess what?_  
JW: What?  
_IJ: Now your parents know about us and they’re fine with it_  
 _IJ: And we can video chat tonight_  
 _IJ: Because I miss you <3_  
JW: Awww Jae <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's shorter and eh, I'm not a huge fan of it but I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit <3


	4. Sleeping Next to You (Almost Next to You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finals week is rough but JB and Jackson still manage to find comfort in each other, in the little things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of Hoseok (J-hope) and Yoongi (Suga) from BTS!! <3<3
> 
> This one is for pentasticangie who left the sleeping 'together' idea in the comments!! I hope it turned out as cute as your story about you and your boyfriend <3
> 
> This is set in the late spring, before "Hold my Body, Hold my Heart"!

The soft alert of a video call from his open computer dragged JB’s eyes away from his composition pages, the same pages he’d been pouring over for almost 2 hours straight looking for mistakes. His vision had started going blurry, all the lines running together a few minutes before but he had told himself to press on for one final round of edits so that he absolutely didn’t miss anything. Now, Jackson was calling and he was rejoicing, both because he missed his boyfriend and because there was no better excuse to call his revision to an end for the evening. Scooping his laptop off his desk, he answered the call with a sleepy smile. 

“Hey baby, how are you?” He asked, falling into his bed and setting his laptop down next to him. 

“Better than you, I think. You look exhausted.” Jackson said, leaning forward on his elbows. “How is studying going? You’ve got two projects and three tests right?”

“Two more tests, I took one today and turned the first project in. I’ve got a set of compositions to hand in and then a music theory exam tomorrow, and one more exam on Friday in my Scoring and Composition class. And then I’m done for the semester.” He said, letting out a huge sigh. 

“Good, you’re almost there and then you get to start your internship. Did that other job pan out?”

JB nodded, resting his head against his pillow and shifting the laptop so the he could lay on his side and still see Jackson. They talked about the job, a simple tech services thing he would be doing outside of the internship since the internship didn’t pay much. They talked about JB’s exams a bit, then the assignments Jackson had due over the next week before his exams. Jackson would be moving out of the dorms and back home for the summer, training with his old team while the college team was out of session, and then moving into an apartment close to campus for the next year. 

It wasn’t long before Jackson was yawning and JB was nodding off, sprawled out on his comfy bed. The elder suggested they both get some sleep but Jackson put up a fight, protesting that they’d only been on video call for half an hour or so. 

“Just… put your laptop on your nightstand in case you fall asleep.” He said, and JB did so, yawning and sliding his body under his blankets. 

“Talk to me, just tell me about your day. I don’t have enough energy to carry on an actual conversations.” JB said with a smile, his eyes falling closed for longer and longer intervals as Jackson mirrored his position in Hong Kong. He pulled his desk chair next to his bed, setting his laptop on it and burrowing into his blankets. 

“My Contemporary Jazz instructor is actually hilarious, have I told you about him?” JB shook his head. “Well first of all he insists that we call him Hope or J Hope instead of his actual name, which is fine. That’s definitely not the weirdest performer name I’ve heard but generally professors and instructors ask us to call them  _ Laoshi _ or something like that. He in particular is Korean so, you know, I thought Korean honorifics but…” Jackson continued and JB smiled, not really able to pay much attention to what Jackson was talking about. His voice was comforting and soothing and it made JB homesick in a way. 

When he woke up, he rolled over onto his back with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. It hit him pretty quickly that he’d fallen asleep with their video chat still going and he groaned, pressing a palm to his forehead. Jackson wouldn’t be mad, he knew that, but he still felt bad. He detached the power cord from his laptop and his screen lit up, showing Jackson’s sleeping face up close. JB’s eyes widened as his boyfriend’s nose wrinkled and he let out a soft snore. Apparently they’d both fallen asleep. He checked the time and sure enough, it said over 9 hours had passed with their call still open. He stifled laughter, settling back against his pillows to watch how Jackson moved and sighed continuously, eyes closed. Not sure if it was cute or creepy, JB resolved after a few minutes to plug his laptop back in and leave it set open while he got ready for the day. 

It wasn’t until he was finishing breakfast that he heard louder rustling and then Jackson realizing that he too was still connected. JB had been awake for about an hour, having planned on revising one final time the night before, but he didn’t have class for another hour. Jackson, on the other hand, was an hour behind him in Hong Kong and had an 8am lecture. 

“Good morning, sleepy head. Sorry for falling asleep last night.” JB said, setting his computer on his lap as Jackson rubbed his eyes. “God, you’re cute in the morning.”

Jackson smiled, laughing and sitting up on his bed. “Mmm, I fell asleep too. Were you watching me sleep?” 

“Not for any longer than you probably watched me sleep last night.” He teased, and Jackson nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. You talk in your sleep, did you know that?” JB laughed, shaking his head. “Weird stuff, I only caught a couple words because it was so quiet. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were still doing it.”

JB covered his face, shaking his head. “Well you snore.”

“Yeah, I know. Do you still love me?” Jackson asked, pouting, and the combination of that face and the bedhead that Jackson had going on was too much. JB dissolved in laughter. 

“Of course, Aegi. You and only you.”

“That’s what I like to hear. I don’t snore too loud, do I?” JB shook his head, checking the time. 

“Okay, you need to go shower and I need to finish this. Talk tonight?”

“Yeah, of course. We should do that more often. Even far away, I like waking up to you like this.”

JB nodded, grinning, and blew Jackson a kiss. “I love you Jacks, have a good day.”

“Love you too, Jae. I gotta go get some coffee.” He said with a wink, blowing JB a kiss too. 

They disconnected and went about their days, reconvening that night with a bit more energy than the night before. Jackson immediately launched into a story about his dance instructor being particularly kind, giving him more compliments than usual. 

“So he told me that I had more energy today and I just told him I was having a good day. I didn’t even mean to let it slip out but he asked me why and I just told him, I said ‘my boyfriend and I fell asleep on video call last night so I got to wake up next to him and it was just really nice.’ It just slipped out, but he was totally okay with it, and get this.” Jackson ranted, a huge grin on his face. “He said he and his boyfriend back in Korea do the same thing sometimes. He said his boyfriend is really grumpy in the mornings and it’s really cute. They live in Seoul too, and his boyfriend produces music for this company.” 

“That’s such a coincidence, you two there and us two here.” JB said, laughing. “What’s his boyfriend’s name, would I know him?”

“Min Yoongi? Works for a company called BigHit. J Hope told me to keep in touch after I’m done with his class, maybe you could intern with them sometime!” 

“Jackson, baby, BigHit is the company I’m working for this summer.” He said, and Jackson let out an excited squeal. “It’ll be really crazy if I do meet him. Hopefully he’s not all that grumpy in the morning because I think I’ll be in charge of morning coffee duty.” 

“What a coincidence,” Jackson echoed, running a hand through his hair. “Anyway, won’t it be nice one day when we can wake up to each other every morning?” JB just nodded pulling the laptop a little closer. 

“I miss you,” He said, running a finger over Jackson’s face on the screen. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Jae. I miss you too. Any idea when you’ll be able to come visit?” 

JB shook his head. “Hopefully after Christmas, I won’t have any time this summer. What about you?” 

“I don’t know, I mean my parents know about you and everything but I’m not sure they’d let me go abroad to visit you. I haven’t had time to get a job with fencing and school and dance, I just don’t have the money right now. I’m teaching at a studio this summer though, beginners classes. That will help.”

“Don’t stress about it, we’ll find a way.” JB said, smiling. “Just focus on your finals. Like you said, one day we’ll get to wake up next to each other every day. There are dance studios here in Seoul and there are music production companies in Hong Kong. You’ll just have to teach me Mandarin.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S/o to anyone taking finals (and AP tests), let me know how you're doing and what you're taking in the comments if you want!!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments (and suggestions) are welcome! As well as requests for more JB/Jackson nonsense <3


End file.
